4 years ago
We arrived early for our 10AM cruise trip, the fir...
We arrived early for our 10AM cruise trip, the first of the day. Maligne Lake is long and narrow. The launch trip took 90-minutes and we traveled about 2/3 of the way down the glassy lake, to the south, to Spirit Island. The Queen Elizabeth Ranges, Mt. Mary Vaux, Mt. Brazeau, Fortuna Peak, and Maligne Mountain are all around the southern half of the Lake, which sits in a box canyon.
The objective was Spirit Island, but the journey was worth the trip as well. The launches are comfortable and the guide was pleasant and informative as we learned some interesting facts and history about this beautiful place.
This trip was reserved and tickets were purchased in advance. The launches run once an hour, but it is easiest to reserve space in advance. There is plenty of free parking, if you drive yourself, but tours from Jasper are available.
I highly recommend this trip. The tour ends with landing and a short walk out to the Spirit Island viewing stand. This walk is short but it is over an open uneven dirt forest trail. A wheelchair or stroller could not do this, but the island can be viewed quite well from the dock.